Spangler Hills OHV Veteran`s Day 2007

Spangler Hills OHV
Veteran’s Day 2007
So Cal Rally IV presented by Toyhauler Magazine returned to
the Spangler Hills OHV Area on Veterans Day weekend 2007.
Spangler Hills located in the Western Mojave Desert about
three hours north of Los Angeles, offers an off road playground of over 57,000 acres. The Rally began 4 years ago
as the brainchild of Dave Guymon and Eric Durkee, regulars
on a popular RV internet chat forum. Sure all the internet
debating over GCVWR was mildly entertaining but Dave
and Eric were looking to take things to another level and a
group camping trip sounded like fun and would put some
real names and faces with all those internet “User Names”.
As you can imagine there was quite a bit of skepticism when
significant others were informed, “Honey, we’ll be heading
out to the middle of the desert to meet some people I’ve
been talking to on the Internet”. Trepidation aside, that first
event did come together and from those humble beginnings the Rally has grown each and every year to become a
popular annual family event and fundraiser.
Upon arrival for this years Rally we were greeted by the
sight of nearly 100 Toyhaulers lined up in a large “circle the
wagons” configuration reminiscent of a scene from the
Wild West pioneer days. After driving through the desolate
landscape that leads to Spangler Hills, you just can’t help
but smile at the sight of all those toyhaulers. We found our
spot in the circle, got ourselves situated then headed over
to the Toyhauler Magazine booth where we had a visit with
our very own editor Terry Gluckman who was busy meeting,
greeting and handing out welcome packets. Each packet included an itinerary for the weekend, a Toyhauler Magazine,
flyers and information from our many sponsors, as well as
an official Rally sticker. This year a large tent donated by the
Toy Hauln Hooligans was erected in the middle of camp to
provide shelter for various group activities. A large vendor
area also shared center stage. The area included Fabtech
Motorsports who brought out their company semi truck,
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long travel Rhinos, a new Polaris RZR and long travel suspension displays while Livewire Whips had a store front where
attendees could purchase whips, poles and holders, camp
markers, and more.
Proceeds from this years So Cal Rally went directly to CORVA
(California Off-Road Vehicle Association) and their fund to protect
riding areas and our privilege to
use them. Dave Edmiston also
organized a fund-raiser very close
to our hearts, The Lauren Lokken
College Fund. Lauren’s father Chris
aka “Mr Nibbles”, passed away while
participating in the 2007 Baja 500
off road race. With collection boxes
set up at the host trailer, attendees
also donated unwrapped toys to
the Marine Corps Toys for Tots program. While everyone was
out to have a good time we were able to give back to some
very worthy causes as well.
The Rally itinerary included several fun children’s activities.
A scavenger hunt was held Friday evening for kids 2-12 who
made their way from trailer to trailer in search of items on a
list that included common and not so common things you
might find in a toyhauler. It was a great opportunity for the
kids to get to know each other early during the Rally and
there were prizes and gift bags for every team that participated. The main tent became Arts and Crafts central when
Amy Corneau, Amy Carson and several other helpful mothers gathered many of the younger children there for some
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artistic endeavors. The mom’s provided guidance as many a
masterpiece was created, including wreaths and windsocks
with a Veteran’s Day theme. The kids also had their own ATV/
Motorcycle races based on age and OHV type. Saturday morning arrived sunny and brisk providing a perfect backdrop as
the racers got in some great bar to bar racing action. For the
most part the rubber side stayed
down and a great time was had by
racers and spectators alike.
Several great group rides also took
place over the Rally weekend.
One ride destination was a trip to
the Trona Pinnacles, which are one
of the strangest geological formations you will ever see. Over 500 tufa
spires project out from the desert
floor some to a height of more than
140 feet. These protrusions some formed as many as 100,000
years ago, are recognizable as the backdrop from dozens of
movies scenes including Star Trek, Lost in Space, Planet of the
Apes and several classic Western’s. The Trona loop combined
miles of fast sand wash twisting across the desert floor with
trails that skirted mountainsides surrounding the valley for
an excellent ride to a truly unique destination. A night time
group ride great became quite an adventure when the back
half of the group ended up in the cold desert night uncertain
of the direction back to camp. Eventually we found some railroad tracks we hoped went near our main camp and followed
trails that ran along those tracks. Just when the Rhino in front
of me began sputtering from lack of gas, off in the distance
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we saw the welcome glow of Livewire marker lights set atop
our toyhauler flag poles. Everyone finally made it back to
base camp in one piece.
The Poker Run which has always been one of the Rally’s most
popular events was laid out this year by Dave Edmiston. It
was an excellent trail ride accessible to all yet not boring for
the more experienced riders. Several “semi hidden” stops
were designated along the way for riders to collect stamps
to prove you had been to each stop. At the end of the run
the stamps would be turned in for a poker hand, the highest
of which were rewarded with prizes. One of the highlights of
the poker run was a stop at the Major Michael James Adams
crash site memorial. Eerily 40 years earlier almost to the day on
November 15th 1967, Major Adams an American aviator and
USAF/NASA astronaut gave his life during a test flight of the
X-15 aircraft. There was a poignant moment when one of the
young ladies riding in the poker run called for a moment of
silence for Major Adams and all of our armed forces around
the globe defending our freedom. Having collected all of our
stamps, we rolled back into camp with high hopes of drawing
that winning poker hand.
A cold Saturday evening began with everyone crowded
around the host trailer for the Rally Raffle. The first order of
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business to take care of was the announcement of the Poker
Run winners and a big cheer went out when 5 year old Jake
Stevenson took home the grand prize. The raffle began with
ticket numbers being called out while Toyhauler Magazine tshirts flew through the air as people scrambled to grab shirts
flung in their direction. The ticket numbers kept coming as
winners collected the goods to hoots and hollers from the
crowd. It was amazing to see the amount of great swag Rally
sponsors stepped up to donate for this year’s raffle. As the
crowd dispersed, it wasn’t long before the line for the potluck
was snaking well beyond the confines of the main Rally tent.
Table after table of scrumptious fare satisfied the appetites of
all who made their way through the buffet lines. The potluck
left everyone satiated and primed for an evening celebration
around the warmth of a huge bonfire.
On the Rally’s final night campfire entertainment took a bit of
a twist when Jerri Manthey of television reality series Survivor
fame treated those around the campfire to a fantastic interpretation of an ancient Maori Poi Spinning “fire dance”. With
a chain in each hand attached to a ball of fire, Jerri danced
rhythmically, swinging the fireballs around her body. Round
and round they flew in a dizzying array of circular flame all
timed to a thumping beat. The music piped from a custom
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golf cart that had been reincarnated
into a crazy rolling wall of sound. It
certainly was quite a sight to see.
As the night drew to a close, I sat
mesmerized by campfire flames
reflecting on what the So Cal Rally
had become in a relatively short
period of time. The friendship, camaraderie and family atmosphere are
palpable. Diverse age groups able to
comfortably share the Rally experience. A large part of what makes the
Toyhauler lifestyle so attractive is its
ability to bridge those wide divides in
the generation gap like precious few
other things can. Once experienced,
it comes as no surprise really that
the So Cal Rally has become such a
popular event.
Of course an event like this takes
quite a bit of planning and preparation. Huge thanks go out to Eric and
Wendy Durkee who carry the majority of that load. Special thanks to the
events pro level sponsors, Toy Hauler
Magazine, Chaparral Glass, CORVA,
Desert Toys, Desertworks Fabrication,
Durkee Racing, Fabtech Motorsports,
Livewire Whips, RB Components,
Santa Cruz Mountains and the Toy
Hauln Hooligans. Also, thank you to
the Ridgecrest BLM office for assisting with the permit process, Bruce
Epstein for the Rally website design,
and all of the other sponsors and volunteers who helped make this event
possible. We can’t wait til next year.
-Bob Balunda
14 February 2008
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